Originally Bourba Djoloff, Baay Sen, and Ama Diop, today, Sen Kumpeu is made up by emcee Bourba Djoloff and his brother emcee Books. Representing from the famous neiborhood of Medina, they broke onto the Senegalese hip hop scene in 1996. They are known for their spirit, their high energy performances, and their complex lyrics that reflect the social context of their upbringing and environment : poverty, lack of educational opportunity, unemployment, and more. In less than three years on the underground, they gained the attention of the national public when the participated in the legendary 1999 political compilation entitled D-Kill Rap. This compilation is the most famous and the most controveserial compilation ever to be released in the history of Senegalese rap music. It broke new ground as it used music to address the social and political situation faced by most Senegalese. Thanks to their song ‚Nii Rek La‘ (‚This is the way it is!‘) , Sen Kumpeu had installed itself in the history of the development of Rap music in Senegal and the movement towards using hip hop as a political tool.

It was in the year 2000 that the group reached a second major milestone. They released a single on the also legendary compilation ‚Politicihien,‘ a compilation released in preperation for the 2000 Senegalese Presidential Elections. With their song entitled ‚Lu Deuk Bi Laac‘ (‚What the people want‘), once again established themselves as one of the most political and outspoken hip hop groups in Senegal.

In 2003, the group underwent serious changes. Rapper Baay Sen and musician Ama Diop left the group to pursue solo careers. The group was hit hard at the loss of these talented artists but the arrival of emcee Books, a young rapper known to be one of the most creative and unique artists of his generation, quickly remedied the situation. Sen Kumpeu was once more complete.

For the past few years, emcees Bourba and Books have been working together on their album, perhaps one of the most long-awaited and anticipated albums in this history of Hip Hop in Senegal. This album will not only have a lasting impact upon the hip hop community in Senegal, but it will also be felt and heard globally. The album features international/multi-lingual collaborations between artists, producers, promoters, and record labels from France to the US and beyond. One of the album’s singles, a song produced by Brooklyn based record label Nomadic Wax (www.nomadicwax.com), has already been picked up and used by NIKE (USA) in an advertising campaign.

Sen Kumpeu is currently one of the most well-respected and critically-acclaimed rap groups in Senegal. Today, they are poised to move beyond the borders of Senegal, beyond the countries of West Africa, and to finally take their deserved place as key players in the world of international Hip Hop- Hip Hop Sans Frontiers, Hip Hop without borders. Bourba Djoloff and Books- remember these names well.